Loudoun Water Announces Universal Rate Structure

Loudoun Water customers everywhere in the county will pay the same rates for water starting April 1.

The Loudoun Water Board of Directors at its Dec. 10 meeting voted unanimously to raise rates 3 percent for all customers for each of the next three years, and to bring communities outside its central service area into the central service area’s rate structure.

Previously, the residents in the rural subdivisions of Raspberry Falls, Selma Estates, Creighton Farms, Elysian Heights, Beacon Hill, and Reserve at Rokeby paid different rates for their water and sewer service, while those in Lenah and Courtland paid different rates for their sewer service. The homes are served by water and sewer systems installed by developers.

A consulting firm hired to conduct a regular review of Loudoun Water’s rate structure recommended a combined rate structure in April 2015. The change brings water rates down for residents using developer-initiated systems for the first year.

Loudoun Water customers are billed a basic charge and a tiered rate based on consumption. Residential customers will next year pay a basic charge of $31.54.

In Loudoun Water’s tiered usage system, customers are billed quarterly. Residential customers will pay $2.30 per 1,000 gallons on the first 25,000 in the quarter; $6.41 per 1,000 gallons up to 50,000 gallons; and $8.58 per 1,000 gallons thereafter. 25,000 gallons per quarter equates to about 275 gallons per day.

Residential sewer customers will be billed a $31.51 basic charge and $4.52 per 1,000 gallons.

“Gentlemen, after a long haul on this, I want to be the first one to congratulate you on this,” said Chairman Johnny Rocca. “It’s a historic event that we are bringing parity to our systems, and it makes me very, very happy.”

The board also put off changing its election bylaws until February to give a incoming board members the opportunity to deliberate.